Wedding Bells Over Ostia
by Sturmgeschuts
Summary: The ceremony draws near, the preparations have begun. All of Ostia prepares for the upcoming wedding of Marchioness Lilina and a groom who remains unknown.


In Fuuin No Tsurugi, high level supports don't actually affect the individual character endings, except for the conversation between Lilina and Roy. This is disappointing, particularly because of some interesting support combinations in the game and the resulting conversations.

The spellings used are from the fan translation of the game and not the official Japanese version.

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Word eventually gets out after a while on any topic. From predictions on growing seasons and new fashions to revelations of corruption and rumours of romance among royalty, the gossips of Ostia would hear it and spread it. So when rumours of the Marchioness Lilina preparing to be wed, it only took a week before the news had spread throughout the Lycian alliance. Official confirmation came later on that a wedding would occur, but one vital detail had failed to leave the castle...

...no one knew who the groom would be!

To the gossiping housewives and merchants of Ostia, this was both strange and unacceptable, so they went up to the castle to get answers. At the main gate to meet them was one of Ostia's generals.

To Bors, the platoon-sized group of women and merchants came as no surprise. He'd been trading shifts at the gate with Oujay for a few days now in anticipation to stop them. If anything, he was surprised it had taken this long for the gossips to approach the castle. Shifting his large figure in front of the gate, his lance up against his shoulder and standing at ease, the armoured knight took up most of the causeway. "I am very sorry ladies and gentlemen; the castle is closed to the public while we prepare for the ceremony. Upon the day of the wedding you shall be allowed into the main courtyard where the wedding will take place."

"Well that's good and all, but who's the man Lady Lilina is marrying? Is it Lord Roy of Pherae?" One of the gossips spoke up, from the front.

"I apologise, but Lady Lilina has decided to keep this as a surprise. However, I am permitted to tell you that Lord Roy will be attending the ceremony, but as a guest." Bors smiled inwardly to himself. Security in the castle had never been higher in its existence, even during the rebellions and an assault by the Black Fang many years prior. While the knight felt the measures taken were excessive, he would not argue with his lady...and even he found it humorous to leave the irritating gossips in the dark. Surely this would teach them that other's affairs weren't always at their leisure to discuss.

"Oh come on, you can tell us more than that? Right? At least a hint?" Persistence was a well-known quality of the housewives, but they had never questioned Bors before.

"I am not permitted to tell you more. I ask that you return to your homes and businesses and wait for the ceremony." He stood to attention, dwarfing even the largest merchants in the crowd.

His intimidation tactic was effective; the crowd gave way and dissipated. No doubt they would return when Bors' shift came to an end, but they would find Oujay would give them the same answer.

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"Lady Lilina...I wonder if this is okay, keeping it a secret until the ceremony itself. I know you love the man, but with no time given for the people to accept him, there may well be an uproar." Bors' younger sister and member of the Ostian Armour knights, Wendy was Lady Lilina's confidant when she wasn't on duty.

"They will have to accept him whether they like him or not. I do not need the approval of merchants and gossips over whom it is I have chosen to marry. I love him and that will have to be enough for them." Lilina went about directing castle servants in preparation for the wedding, a stern look on her face.

Wendy sighed and smiled, submitting to her Lady's will. Her brother called Lilina strong-willed, Oujay called her naive; personally she felt that the young Marchioness was merely stubborn. She would not argue, however, as she did agree to some degree.

"Have you received word from our guests? Will they be attending?" Lilina picked out some flowers from a bundle, decorations for the path to the courtyard.

"Lady Clarine has responded, and in her own words 'neither dragons nor armies shall delay her'." Wendy sighed. The Etrurian noble always held strong opinions of those around her, and always felt the need to show she was a 'proper lady'. "Lord Zealot and Lady Yuno have stopped in Sacae before they finish their journey; they are taking their time to ease into the warmer climates as they go. I hear Lady Yuno bore a healthy young daughter last year as well."

"What of Echidna?" Lilina looked over, curiosity and concern on her face.

"She has not replied as of yet. I am sure she is fine Lady Lilina." Wendy could feel an itch on her side, irritating because her armour prevented her from scratching it.

"I hope so...it is a hard life on the Western Isles." Lilina stretched. "I'm going inside, my husband awaits me."

"Of course Lady Lilina. I will attend to matters in the meantime." The lady knight watched her Marchioness walk away, wondering what would come of the union.

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No one outside the castle knew who the groom was, but that didn't stop some from wanting him dead. It would seem that with the end of the war, political intrigue and assassination were now open for business. Creeping along the ledge near the Marchioness' room, the assassin stepped carefully from one stone to the next. One false move and he would plummet to his death, or worse, be spotted by the guards. Upon reaching the Marquess' room he slipped through the window and surveyed his surroundings. Not a soul in sight, save for the mound in the bed. Whoever he was, he was a beast of a man, big as a small horse or cow.

Dagger drawn, the assassin moved up to the edge of the bed, then with a sneer he plunged it into where he thought the Marquess' heart must be. The man let out a howl of pain and sat up, dagger protruding from his chest. Looking down at the small assassin, the beast of a man looked angry, his ugly face contorted with panic and rage.

"Shit I've been duped, they set up a double!" The assassin jumped back from the hideous man.

"That...hurt. You pay for that!" Grabbing an axe, Gonzales stood and approached the cloaked man, raising his axe.

"Aaagh!" The smaller man jumped between Gonzales' legs and ran for the window. "They didn't pay me enough for this!" He climbed out onto the ledge and was about to scoot away when the monstrous man's fist connected with his back, sending him flying towards the moat below.

The door to the room was thrown open, an elderly knight rushing in with his lance but no armour. "What was that commo—whoa! You alright there big guy?"

"Chest...hurt." Gonzales sat down on the edge of the bed, placing his axe on the floor. "Ow..."

"Whoa, easy there...will you be fine if I run for help?" Marcus of Pherae examined the wound.

"I...think so. Chest hurt." Gonzales sniffled.

"Right, stay right here." Marcus moved off to find help, his old bones aching. As he moved down the stairs he wondered why no one had told him Gonzales had been moved to the Marquess' chambers. He may be a guest, but he would like to know who was put up in the room across the hall. The tactic of setting up a double was effective, and there was little to worry about with Gonzales as the choice, but he felt all this was so unnecessary. "Now, if only they'd tell us who the man is. I wonder if Lady Lilina has her new husband locked away for the wedding?" He mused as he stepped into the castle kitchens where an Elminian priest flirted with the female kitchen staff.

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"Simply incredible I say; to think that men are still willing to turn traitor against Ostia after the uprising by Devias and Leygance." Barth stood at the gate of the home of a wealthy merchant who, according to information acquired through his 'interview' with a certain near-dead assassin, had been responsible for passing out information to Bern during the war and was hoping to destabilize Lycia enough for him to make a clean getaway. Barth was lead in by one of the manor servants, having to duck and walk sideways through the front door as to accommodate his bulky armour. Once inside he simply strolled on into the meeting room, picked the smug-looking merchant right up out of his chair, and carried him out of the building.

Meanwhile, Bors and Oujay stood at the front gate of the castle in Ostia, striking up conversation as one took over the other's watch. "I hear Sir Barth was dispatched to deal with the assassination issue." Oujay chuckled as he spoke, an apple in hand.

"Oh dear. I should send someone to clean up after him then. He always did lack certain...finesse, needed for dealing with people." Bors sighed, almost managing to slump in his heavy equipment.

"He's an Ostian armour knight. Finesse is entirely optional, as long as things get done in the end." Oujay joked, taking a bite from the apple to stifle further chuckles.

"Had Lady Lilina not intervened, Sir Allen of Pherae would have gone instead, as he had offered." Bors grinned, his statement having the desired effect of causing Oujay to laugh while mid-chew, the coughing fit music to his ears.

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When the wedding day came the castle courtyard was filled with nearly the entire city's population. As the masses entered through the gates lined with roses, knights in ceremonial armour kept watch for any suspicious activity. Lady Lilina still wanted to keep her groom-to-be a secret until the last moment, and after the assassination attempt even the grimiest gutter had at least two guards watching it. Adding to the chaos was the arrival of several 'guests of honour' from around Elibe. Men and women who fought alongside Roy in the previous war and the closest comrades of Lady Lilina, each group was easily distinguishable from the crowd.

From the Western Union was Echidna in her usual attire, though a bit cleaner than usual. Around her were men of the isles, massive in size and presence, showing that the strength of the Union was more than figurative.

From Ilia came members of the reformed 1st wing Pegasus knights and former mercenaries from the frozen land. Among them were two infants little older than a year or two old.

The most spectacular group came in the form of Etruria and Pherae, who had each attended little by little and gathered into one large cluster for the wedding, with Lord Roy and Prince Mildain at the head of the group.

Many others filled the ranks of the crowd, standing out amongst the citizens in their own ways. From a window overlooking the crowd, Lilina could see that in the two years they'd been apart, her comrades were still the same. Even then, she was unsure of how they might react to her own changes over that span. She had grown taller, her body had filled out in ways that gave her a more womanly look than the childish appearance she had during the war. But it was this next step, her marriage to a man she was sure that some would disapprove, that worried her the most. She was the head of the noble house of Ostia, the Marchioness and successor to her father's legacy. Her husband was not of noble blood, had no legacy, and some even doubted he was human. But she would not be discouraged by this, she had made her choice and her most loyal friends and retainers supported her. When the call was sounded, she made her way down to the altar where her new life after the war would truly start.

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Aside from the water of a nearby fountain, not a sound could be heard. The crowd stared in disbelieving silence at the altar where Lilina and her groom stood holding hands, waiting for any sign of a response. Silence was broken at last only by the priest who began the rites dating back to the end of the scouring and the establishment of the Elminian Church. Throughout the entire speech the crowd remained almost silent, with the exception of a low whisper as the people of Ostia attempted to make sense of this occurrence.

At the end of the rites and a pair of I do's, the time came for the couple to seal the marriage with a kiss. Only when Lilina and her groom hesitated did someone finally speak up from the crowd. "C'mon Lilina! Don't keep us waiting! It's a long way back home from here and I don't want this trip to be for nothing!" Echidna had a big voice despite being the smallest of her group, her carefree tone and the resulting gasps and laughter were enough to inspire the couple with the needed confidence.

A cheer went all around the former Lycian League as they kissed, while the people of Ostia continued to stare in a sort of mesmerized horror as their Marchioness was wed to a hideous former bandit from the western isles.

Lilina looked up at the man she was marrying. While others saw a hideous visage, she could only see a goofy, toothy, truly happy grin of a man with a heart of pure gold. "Well, Gonzales, my husband. Shall we meet with our friends?"

"Lilina...thank you...you make me human...you make me happy." He lifted her up, causing her to squeak and giggle. "Love...Lilina...We meet friends now."

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While the new Marquess of Ostia was hideous and dumb, he proved to be strong and kind in ways the people never thought possible. Though he often had to have everything explained to him slowly in simple words, he always acted with the happiness of the people in mind. As time went on, his speech would improve, and not nearly as much needed explaining, though large words still troubled him and he never truly learned to read anything above children's storybooks. His strength served Ostia in its direst moments, becoming legendary for the sheer inhuman power possessed by the man. Whether he was reading stories to children or dragging sinking ships to shore, he proved his worth to all of Lycia.

Finally overcoming the sheer panic from the wedding, Lilina was finally able to enjoy her life with Gonzales openly and with little problems. Though there were some who could never accept her choice, Lilina felt that Ostia had come to accept what she herself had once never considered. With Gonzales she sired a daughter, an act that became a sort of joke in the courts of Lycia as no one wanted to picture the act in the slightest. Her daughter seemed to take after her father and her husband, growing tall and powerful with a tendency to break things that usually aren't easily broken. A destructive, rowdy child who would rather practice with an axe than take lessons in etiquette. Regardless, Lilina was proud of her daughter and lived a good life until she was claimed by the same illness that had claimed her grandparents, leaving behind a legacy of kindness and compromise.

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Final Note from the Author: Finally, that's over with and the idea is out of my head. Gameplay-wise I like Gonzales. He hits like a train and can take hits that no mortal should be able to withstand. So what if axe-users in the Sword of Seals weren't that great, him and his ugly mug get a 10/10 in my books.

Character-wise Gonzales is interesting. He's simple with a heart of gold. Big and dumb, and likely to bring you the whole tree if you tell him you like apples. His support with Lilina immediately had me interested, and it didn't take long to come up with this.


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